Col J P Singh, Retd
India today is faced withone realitythat we are surrounded by hostile neighbors of whom one is frighteningly aggressive and is conniving with others to contain India. We have territorial disputes with almost all the neighbors which is being exploited by China. She illegally occupies Aksai Chin, claims Arunachal as its integral part, calls J&K disputed,belligerently encircles India from all sides and directions and yet advocates friendship and resolution of disputes through dialogue.
Hence more worryis Chinese threatening arrogance rather than actions.PLA incursions along the LAC are regular occurrences and do eventually get sorted out, though not always to India’s satisfaction.But 15th April deep ingress in Ladakh is worrying. Decade agoIndian Defence Minister called China as enemy No 1. Since thenwe have been speaking in muted voices about how militarily we are ill-prepared to take China on. China knows our political and military vulnerabilities. As China gets frighteningly aggressive, our armed forces must be fully equipped, empowered and tasked to take her on one day soon.
China has been traditional friend since decades and is going to be virtual enemy for decades to come. She appearsfriendly because whatever She does against India; it does it so cunningly and non-aggressively, even if it is an inimical act, such as nibbling of Indian territories; that it does not provoke India into an outright war. Forthcoming high profile exchange of visits in May 2013, despite Chinese deep ingress in Ladakh, is a friendly overture whereas Chinese denial of pull back from Daulat Begh Oldi (DBO)) is highly an inimical act. Pt. Nehru had blind faith in Chinese friendship despite its complete occupation of sovereign Tibet by 1959 till She stabbed him in 1962. He could not appreciate, despite warnings, that a friendly ghost in our North is not so friendly. The friendly giant gave India an un-forgettable bloody blow in 1962. Some argue that it was a wakeup call for India to strengthen militarily against sub-continental geo-political vulnerabilitiesand suggest it be taken as such.Over and above all the blow hot – blow cold,there is a clear signal offrightening belligerency; be it on the LAC, Karakoram, POK, Indian Ocean, Gwadhar / Chabahar Ports or explorations in South China Sea.Yet I don’t consider DBO ingress as an act of extreme provocation because China neither wants nor can afford a war with India now when it is being aggressively challenged in South China Sea. Hence it is a veiled warning to frighten, tame and blunt Indian interests in Asia-Pacific region and hence calls for assertive diplomacy and early vacation ofLadakh ingress.
Having served in Ladakh and led many long range patrols along LAC, I have seen that Sino-Indian border has no border pillars or any other sign of demarcation. Hence the claim that areas astride IB are disputed is tenable. One of Madras Regt patrol led by my course mate was captured by the Chinese from Indian territory, interrogated for a month and released with the warning not to enter their areas. I also saw that Chinese camps are located very close to the LAC whereas our posts are generally far behind. As a result PLA keeps frequenting the area at will whereas our patrols remain very cautious while patrolling the LAC being far away from own defences. I have seen Chinese civilians and soldiers entering Indian villages, trading and returning after meeting civilians. They establish camps in prefabricated huts or snow tents in the valleys. While we have invested our resources in strong defence fortifications, they have invested their resources in building infrastructure such as roads and tracks. While we tire our men and poniesin forward areas, they use vehicle up to the LAC. India too has started developing infrastructure along the LAC.This is what irks the Chinese.Hence they are resorting to frightening incursions here and there. In the present case of ingress in Ladakh;Beijing has refused to relent. Instead She is demanding that India dismantle its infrastructure projects from the area.
To address the border issues, a border dispute mechanismbetween India and Chinais in place since 1993 and is functional though nothing tangible has been achieved since its existence. It is seen that in the DBO case diplomatic and military exchanges are taking place vigorously to resolve the crisis which has the potential of shadowing forthcoming friendly visits. India is hopeful that the PLA men will withdraw from DBO to allow Chinese Premier’s 20th May visit to materialize.
PLA follows its political and military leaders dictates sincerely. Few important teachings of Sun T’zu’s and Mao-Tse-Tungare distinctly seen in the Chinese moves. (i) ‘Power flows from the barrel of gun’. PLA is in the forefront in projecting Chinese might. (ii) ‘To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill’. While political leadership shows sensibilities to our concerns, the PLA continues its frightening moves to subdue us by encircling India from all sides. (iii) ‘Speed is the essence of war. Hencetake advantage of enemy’s unpreparedness, move on unexpected routes and strike him where he has taken no precautions’.PLA appears unseen wherever it likes and does whatever it wants with impunity. China has thus won the first round in the recent case. Now what got to be doneis that without going into a war;which none of the two is keen on, India should win the next round and take the initiative and follow some of the military doctrines, even if they are Chinese, so that we pre-empt PLA’s every frightening move. Following initiatives are worth considering.
Recall Indian Ambassador for urgent consultations and cancel the impending visit of the Indian Foreign Minister to China. Instead he should visit South Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia to frame plans to counter Chinese muscle flexing in the region. Coercive diplomacy is need of the hour when the opposition leaders are also equally outraged. Play South China Sea and Tibetan trump cards aggressively and declare Indian full backing to Tibetan govt in exile.
Allow Indian Army to build and move up along the LAC to take steps to counter Chinese frightening ventures.Place additional Infantry and ITBP Battalions at the disposal of each brigade with liberty to carry out aggressive patrolling and effectively counter Chinese moves without looking back.
While the Indian Government has been pleading for restraint on the issue of incursions, for fear of damaging diplomatic ties; China appears to have no such concerns. Therefore we need to put forward a more aggressive stance before we lose any more territory to China. But we can’t afford to take that stance without being adequately prepared in terms of military might.The time has come to seize the initiative, empower the armed forces, focus on offensive defence, compel PLA to react rather than actand increase the defence budget.Power must now flow from Indian guns. China will behave the way we wish her to.Price, if any for the sovereignty, must be paid.
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